Drowning
by i-love-naruto-yaoi
Summary: You'd save Sakura if she were drowning. Would you save me? Sasuke and Naruto finally express their true feelings for each other after Sasuke nearly loses Naruto in the ocean and meets a potential rival.
1. Naruto's Feelings

This idea eventual SasuNaru, fyi just came to mind after I watched, recently, one episode mainly involving Idate and Aoi (and Naru, Sasu, and Saku of course). If you've seen the episode, awesome; you'll somewhat know the feelings of the characters (or as how I perceive them). If not, it's alright. It's all good.

* * *

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were all breathing hard as they treaded water in the deep sea.

"Ah!" screamed Naruto before his head disappeared beneath the rippling water.

"This is no time to be fooling around, Naruto!" scolded the high-pitched voice belonging to Sakura as she saw a hand flailing aimlessly above the water.

"They're here," Sasuke told Sakura in realization. To confirm it, he peered through the gray water and saw Naruto struggling to break free of a Rain ninja's hold.

"Naruto!" he yelled before diving his whole body beneath the water. Sakura, not wanting to feel useless, followed suit. As they swam lower and lower, their actions were put to halt as miso bunshin swam up from behind and yanked their arms behind their backs, their hands now acting as handcuffs for the frantic girl and glaring boy.

The water clones laughed cynically as they viewed Team 7, the team that humiliatingly defeated them during the Chuunin examination. They looked pathetic. _Well, the girl always looked pathetic_ thought a bushin. _She never did anything. It appears she can't even hold her breath for a long time_. It was true. Sakura was on the verge of becoming unconscious in the water.

_Sakura-chan! _Naruto growled and looked back at the water bushin, tearing himself from its grip. He kicked it in the stomach and swam a few feet before yelling _Kage Bushin no Jutsu!_ Nine clones of the orange-clad nin appeared and surrounded everyone.

Sneering at the blonde's actions, all the water clones laughed. Speaking through his underwater breathing apparatus, one informed, "Your clones are useless here. Water clones have the advantage underwater."

Naruto and his clones all smirked before swimming deeper into the sea. They all arrived directly five meters below his friends and the miso bunshin. Placing their right hands, palms up, in a circle, a blue light began to emanate and rotate continuously in each of the tan hands.

_What does he plan to do?! _thought the miso bunshin worriedly. Their answer was soon answered as the swirling chakra combined and expanded, creating a powerful whirlpool beneath them. Taking advantage of their shock, Sasuke broke free from his temporary incarceration and grabbed the unconscious girl from a miso bunshin before kicking it down, down into the Naruto's spinning vortex of doom.

_Shit_ all the bunshin thought as they desperately fought to swim away the sucking current. It was futile, though, as Naruto's anger surged through him and caused his chakra to increase and capture them even faster. _Damn, the loud-mouthed kid is pretty good_ thought the bunshin before seeing defeat.

Smirking in victory, the nine bunshin poofed away and the original Naruto swam speedily to the surface. He reached oxygen and noticed Sasuke slowly pulling and swimming the pink-haired girl to shore.

"Sakura-chan!" Grabbing her from Sasuke, the caring boy put her on his back and channeled his chakra to his feet, allowing him to run on the water's surface at full speed, instead of swimming like Sasuke initially was doing.

Reaching the bay, Naruto ran until he tripped over a rock and fell to the grainy sand. "Sakura-chan!" he screamed. "Wake up!" _Why do I have to be so caring? _he thought in despair as he realized he may have to perform CPR on her. _Sasuke would rather die than touch her.__Shimatta _he inwardly groaned.

Sakura, bit by bit, opened her eyes, spotting the gorgeous raven. _Sasuke-kun! _her mind squealed. _I'll pretend like I need artificial resuscitation and Sasuke will save me!_ It took all her willpower to keep a giggly school-girl smile from forming on her face at the thought of having her crush's lips on hers.

_Damn! _thought Naruto as he slowly descended his lips downard.

Not able to keep her eyes shut, Sakura still saw Sasuke in the same position as earlier, but this time, she also saw Naruto's puckered lips nearing hers.

"Ahhhhhhh!" she screamed loudly, sounding like a banshee aiming to make someone's ears bleed. "Naruto, you moron!" she yelled before glomping, hard, on the head.

"Itai! Sakura-chan!" he whined. _Fuck, that hurt. _He sighed discreetly. _What I get for trying to help._

_Ungrateful bitch_ thought the brooding Uchiha.

"Ah! Sasuke-kun!" squealed the bipolar girl in excitement.

_God, how can she go from yelling like a cruel bitch to acting sickly sweet?_ thought Sasuke. The blonde was thinking the same thing, but he already knew the answer to that question.

"Let's go, Sasuke-kun!" she screeched and grabbed his arm, pulling them away from Nagi Island's shore. The boy instantly jerked his arm from her small hands and walked ahead of her. _What did I do?_ she asked herself, completely confused, having never realized he never liked her touching him in the first place. She ran to catch up with him, the both of them far ahead of Naruto, who was left with a bump in the head, in pain, on the sand.

The usually loud boy was now unusually quiet as he laid down on the sand and looked at the gloomy sky. _Don't leave me_ he thought. He sighed dejectedly. _Why am I so caring? I care so much about them, but they, don't give a crap about me_. A lone tear rolled down the side of his voice and Naruto quickly wiped it away. _I better catch up or Sakura will call me a retard or something. Then, she'll hit me._

Sprinting, in the newly descending rain, Naruto caught up with his teammates. As they walked more, they were disgusted by what they saw.

A thin, but muscular man, with teal hair was taunting and stomping repeatedly on a younger man—maybe not even a man—but a teenager a few years older than Team 7.

"Hey!" immediately shouted the boisterous blonde in outrage. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Shut the hell up, brat," responded the smug man, who then ignored the three ninja who were fisting their hands in fury.

"Stop it!" Naruto screamed, heading towards the man in skin-tight clothing, which looked akin to a scuba diving garb. In a second, the man closed the umbrella he was using to shield himself from rain to point at Naruto.

"Get out of here if you don't want to be hurt," he threatened. While he man spoke to her teammates, Sakura unnoticeably went to the injured teen's side.

"You think an umbrella can stop me?!"

"No," he began, "I **know** it can stop you."

With that he swung his umbrella and hit both Naruto and Sasuke in the sides, pushing them to the ground. Although he barely looked like he was using any force, the umbrella definitely had a strong impact on them.

_Ch'kushou_ thought the irate blonde. Picking himself off the ground, he placed his middle and index finger against his other ones, forming a t-shape.

"Kage Bun—ah!" wailed the blood as a needle was shot from the end of the man's umbrella.

"Naruto!" yelled Sasuke to the younger boy. "Uh," groaned the raven as he was hit with a needle like Naruto.

"What pathetic ninja," he said. "You never turn away from the enemy in battle," he elaborated, intending those words to be for Sasuke. He looked at the two boys who were now on the ground, the sharp pain from the needles excruciating.

"Sasuke-kun!" was heard from a few feet away.

"How even more pathetic," he continued, causing Sakura to stiffen in angry defense. "She left her teammates. _Pathetic_."

"Aoi," groaned at the brown-haired teen.

The man laughed disdainfully. "All of you are pathetic. Good thing you all will die."

Everyone's eyes widened in horror, causing Aoi's lavender eyes to dance with merriment. "Pathetic fools. I hit you with poison needles with venom called 'toxic rain.' You'll be dead soon."

Suddenly, Aoi looked up. In the background, cheering could be heard. "Well, I must leave now. Have a good, short life." He was about to hit Sakura with a needle as well, but was too lazy. Believing this incident was enough torture for her, he left her unscathed. But, before departing, he turned and faced Sakura. "Like the rest of your life will be good after this," he deadpanned, referring to the deaths that she would witness soon.

_Bastard_ thought everyone who remained there.

Without delay, Sakura took out a small bag. "Here, you guys. Tsunade-sama gave these to me in a situation like this." She handed the bag to Naruto who withdrew a pill and then passed the bag to Sasuke, who took a pill and then returned the bag to Sakura. The boys chewed their pill and almost instantly felt better. Sakura went over to the unknown teen and put a pill in his mouth as well.

"We better find shelter," Sasuke said calmly. After hearing his words, everybody comprehended that it was now pouring.

"I see a place where we can stay until the rain lets up," Sakura somewhat boasted and began heading there, Sasuke behind her.

Naruto on the other hand, was at the teen's side. "Hi," he said softly. "I'm Naruto."

"Idate," responded the teen.

"Can you walk?"

The boy looked away. "That man beat me pretty badly."

"No problem, then. I'll bring you to shelter." Naruto gave Idate a bright smile and slowly helped him off the ground and onto his back.

"Where'd they go?"

"There!" Naruto answered and pointed to them.

"Why didn't they wait for you?"

"Ehhh," Naruto voiced and dragged on before shrugging his shoulders, not wanting to say his teammates didn't like him. "Well, we better get you out of the rain."

"Hai. Arigatou, Naruto."

* * *

Holy moly! This is a lot! I didn't expect I'd type this much. Gaah, and I wanted this to be a **short** (veryy short) fic. I guess not, eh? Anyway, I wrote out the details b4 typing it up. I realize now that my chappies come out better if I write it before typing it up instead of juss typing up w/e comes to mind.

I originally wanted more for this chapter (i.e. what happens in the cave shelter) but I don't want a LONGGGGGG chapter.


	2. Inside the Cave and After the Marathon

Upon entering the cave, the shelter that Sakura spotted from a distance, Naruto and Idate found it warm and well-lit thanks to a newly formed fire, it's flames dancing up and down, and occasionally side to side if a draft entered. Hearing footsteps, the duo, squatting on the ground near the heat source, looked up.

"Naruto, you baka! Why are you so slow?" She stood up and went over to him. "Geez, and you could have gotten him sick! Letting him stay out in this weather!" _Stupid idiot_ inner Sakura thought, her habitual diatribe commencing. "Hi, I'm Sakura," introduced the girl kindheartedly to the teen as his feet landed on the cave's cold ground.

_The hell? _Idate thought. _Why is she so rude to Naruto and then polite to me? It's not like she helped me get to shelter!_

"Idate," he responded frostily, in an Uchiha Sasuke-like manner.

"Nice to meet you," she greeted.

The brunette nodded his head in acknowledgement, restraining himself from telling her off for insulting the considerate blond.

"You should dry off," Naruto suggested to Idate.

"Oh, right. Thanks," he said appreciatively as he began twisting parts of his clothing to squish out the water.

"Do itashi mashite," replied the blond as he imitated the older boy's actions.

Longing for warmth again, the weak girl returned to the red/orange and white flames.

"Sasuke-kun, come closer to the fire!"

Hearing her, but ignoring her, the stoic boy remained where he was, in the shadows of the cave, simply watching this 'Idate' boy and his friend interact—interact pleasantly. Why couldn't he Naruto interact like that?

"You are **stupid**!" yelled the blond, rising up from the ground and pointing at the teen who looked a tad cross but also depressed.

_Well, that pleasantry was evanescent quickly_ thought the creamy-skinned boy, while observing Naruto yell at their new acquaintance.

"Naruto!" screeched the thin girl. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I **know** I'm stupid, Naruto. You don't have to tell me. I'm horrible. I betrayed my home country and I'm useless." All this was said above a whisper, the blond being the only to hear.

Lowering his voice as well, Naruto replied, "You were tricked by that prick Aoi! It's not your fault for what happened all those years ago. You're **stupid** if you think you're useless or no one believes in you or that you can't finish your marathon!"

Idate looked away, a sadness in his eyes that reminded Naruto of himself and when he was in the academy—desolate, mocked, with nobody to turn to, nobody who believed in him.

Gently grabbing Idate's chin with his hand, Naruto guided it to face him, so they were face to face once again. "There must be someone who believes you, Idate! There **is** someone who believes in you! What about Boss Jirochou? Isn't he waiting for you to finish the race?"

The teen slowly nodded, his head in a daze.

"You don't want to disappoint him, right?" Idate nodded again slowly

"So, are you stupid?" Naruto asked the former-Chuunin examiner's younger brother.

Brown eyes locked with sapphire, both pairs of eyes holding sheer determination. "No, I am not," he answered powerfully and began to stand up on his injured legs, with the aid of his inspirer. "I will finish the marathon!" he said with fortitude, loudly enough for the others to hear.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed. "He's too injured to be moving!"

"He won't be moving," was his partial answer to her wails, "too much. I'll meet you guys in town later."

Idate knew the drill as Naruto's back was shown before him. He slowly put his legs on either side of the blond's waist and hoisted himself up so that his arms went around the tan neck.

"Ja!" they both exclaimed to the worried girl and the glaring shinobi.

* * *

Back in town, Kakashi found his team, along with another boy.

"Yo," he said with a smile as his eye curled into upside-down U's.

"Good evening, sir" Idate said respectfully.

_Why does he look familiar?_ thought the silver-haired jounin. Looking into the sky, the masked man noticed a hawk from Konoha. _The Hokage must need something_.

"Gomen, you guys, but to my dismay, I have to leave you once again." Turning to Sasuke, he gave him a great deal of money. "Sasuke, take care of your teammates. I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll find in the Sweet Pea Country."

"Hai," understood the raven-haired shinobi, accepting the money and carefully putting it in his backpack.

As the jounin was about to leave, he heard a faint, "Kakashi?"

Not recognizing the voice as one of his students, he looked at the other boy. "Hm?" he questioned, all the while pondering how the teen knew his name.

"Could, could you tell my brother I said, 'hi'?"

"Oh, who's your brother, young man?"

"Morino Ibiki," he said quietly.

Kakashi's eyes opened wide in shock. _Idate?_ _Is this truly Ibiki's younger brother?_ "Idate?"

"Hai."

Kakashi quickly gave the boy a hug and then released him. "Of course I'll tell your brother you said, 'hi.' You should visit Konoha one day. He'll be happy to see you."

"Hai."

Nodding to everyone, Kakashi poofed away.

Smiling at the older man's words, he asked merrily to the others, "You're going to the Sweet Pea Country?"

"Hai," all three responded.

"What a coincidence! I'm going there to!"

"Yatta!" screamed the excited blond. "We can all travel there together!"

"Okay," Sakura said.

Of course, the young Uchiha didn't say anything—all he did was glare daggers at the back of Sakura, and Naruto and Idate, who was still being somewhat supported by the youger nin. _It's been a day since he's been attacked. He should be fine by now_ Sasuke thought angrily as he continued following them.

* * *

Okay, most of this is totally fictionally, so don't think this is how the episode turned out. next chap: sleeping arrangements. who'll sleep where? 


	3. Could You Do Me a Favor?

At six o'clock in the evening, the four ninja arrived in Sweet Pea Country and found an inn to stay at. At the Sweet Pea Inn, Idate booked one room and Sasuke booked one for him and his two teammates.

* * *

The three pre-teens stood before their door. Sasuke, one of the two of them that had a key to the room, unlocked the door. The first thing he saw was the bed—one bed to be exact. We walked further into the room and his teammates followed. 

Naruto stated dumbly, "There's only one bed."

"Hn," responded the stoic raven.

"Ahhh!" squealed the pink-haired nin. "Sasuke-kun! You can share the bed with me!"

"No," he replied coldly.

_God, I wanna sleep on a bed. My back hurts so much._ Naruto eyed the bed longingly.

"_You_ are not sleeping in the same bed as me!" Sakura shouted at the blond while looking at him with disdain.

_Should have known_ thought Naruto with an anguished sigh.

"We'll sleep on the floor. Just give us the comforter tonight," Sasuke dictated.

"Hai, Sasuke-kun." _That baka better not disrupt Sasuke's sleep! _yelled Inner Sakura.

Pretending he was observing the room, Naruto turned his back to them and rolled his eyes at how Sakura obeyed Sasuke like a dog. After a moment, he thought about the sleeping situation. _Sasuke sleeping with me! _He blushed at the thought, but then shook his head. _He doesn't even like me or want to be near me._ The blond youth sighed again, but this time a sad one.

His thoughts were confirmed when Sasuke voiced, "Oi, dobe."

Naruto turned around and faced him. "Nani, Sasuke?"

"You better not get on my side when we're sleeping."

The great actor, always wearing a mask, acted angry and glared at the older teen. "I wouldn't even think of it," he spat. His heart, though, knew it wasn't true. He longed to touch, or be touched, in way other than a fist or foot to his body, by the youngest Uchiha. He didn't care what kind of touch it would be. An intimate one, doubtful. A hug which he would love to get from the raven, but that was doubtful again. He wished Sasuke would do something to show he cared about him, do anything that would ebb away the loneliness he felt everyday. _But Sasuke doing that is, highly doubtful._

"Wow! The cafeteria downstairs serves a complimentary dinner buffet everyday! We better go soon. It'll close in two hours," informed the female.

"Yatta!" shouted the blond happily. He rushed to the door and past Sakura.

Angrily, the strong girl grabbed him by the jacket sleeve and pulled him back to her, glomping him on the head when it whip lashed towards her. "Stop being so childish, Naruto. And _ladies_ first!" She pushed him to the wall and went ahead of him, heading to the door.

Sasuke followed her and closed the door behind them.

Naruto stared at the wooden door. _Wait for me,_ he begged in his head, not wanting to be alone. He sighed and his eyes became downcast, the corners of his lips tugging towards the pull of gravity. He sighed again. "This is going to be a long night."

At last, Naruto exited the room and searched for the cafeteria. Easily finding with the help of his talented nose, Naruto spotted a familiar pink and blackish-blue hair sitting at one of the long, copious wooden tables. They were already eating their food. _Why do I keep thinking they'll wait for me?_ he reflected sadly.

From where he stood, at an entrance opposite the only other one, which was several feet from his teammates, Naruto could see all the stations of various foods spread around the outskirts of the cafeteria. Noticing the name of one of them, his eyes lit up, shining and sparkling a beautiful azure hue. He rushed over to the station. Unconsciously, his mouth opened and he drooled slightly. _I must have gone to heaven!_ A squeal escaped his mouth that he didn't even try to suppress. Displayed before him were bowls of different ramen. He quickly picked up a tray from the stack and piled on each type of ramen that the station offered. _Yatta!_ his mind screamed, his heart now elated.

The orange-clad nin turned around, carefully holding his heavy tray. His feet were slowly carrying him to the opposite side of the cafeteria, but stopped when he noticed brown hair in a ponytail, very much akin to Shikamaru's, but with spiky bangs. Recognizing him as Idate, Naruto's feet carried him to a table near the entrance he entered from.

Hesitantly, Naruto greeted, "Hey, Idate."

"Hey, Naruto!" welcomed the older teen.

Naruto just stood there nervously with his tray, not sure if it was okay with Idate for him to sit there.

Confused, Idate asked, "Eh, why don't you sit down, Naruto?"

The younger boy blushed in embarrassment. "Thanks!" he said shyly while putting his tray on the table and sitting on the long bench.

Idate eyed Naruto's tray with wide eyes, his eyebrows significantly higher than the way they usually were.

Naruto sheepishly said, "I love ramen."

Chuckling, Idate replied, "So I can see."

Naruto broke his chopsticks and rubbed them against each other a couple of times.

"Itadakimasu!" he yelled before digging into his food.

Idate slowly ate his sushi slowly while watching Naruto slurp down on first bowl and go onto his second.

"Hey, Naruto?"

Naruto stopped, looking up at Idate's brown eyes. "Hm?" he voiced while chewing on a noodle.

"I never got to thank you for helping me out yesterday. I really appreciate it. You are the most inspiring and kind person I've ever met," he told sincerely.

Nauto blushed and choked a little on a noodle. "Thanks, Idate. It was no problem at all." They smiled at each other and while Idate was eating, Naruto was slowly eating, watching Idate, and contemplating. _Should I ask him?_

"Uh," Naruto let out.

The older boy looked up from his plate. "Did you say something?"

Naruto looked down at his fourth bowl, then looked back up. "Yeah, um, I was wondering if," _should I ask him?!_

Idate chuckled. "Yeah. 'If' what?" he urged on.

Naruto took a deep breath. "Could you do me a favor?" he asked quickly.

Idate raised a single eyebrow. He smiled and then answered brightly, "Sure! What is it?"

Naruto smiled in relief. "Could you let me sleep in your room?"

Idate opened his mouth about to answer, but Naruto cut in hurriedly. "I'll just need the floor to sleep on. Nothing else."

His countenance full of care, Idate thought _this boy is selfless. _"Naruto, of course you can sleep in my room. And, it's not a favor. I'd be happy to share my room with you anytime you need it."

Naruto gratefully responded with, "Thank you _so_ much, Idate."

"No problem. It's the least I could do after all you've done for me." After a few moments, Idate asked, "But why do you want to sleep in my room?"

Naruto paused his eating, looking down sadly at his bowl. He admitted, "Sasuke and Sakura don't like me being around. I'm just a burden or a waste of space to them." He placed a big, fake grin on his scar-whiskered face and said, "But now I won't be because I'll be with you."

Idate's entire face held horror and disbelief. "That's not true!"

Naruto continued eating slowly and shrugged at the comment, his face holding an unbelieving expression.

Feeling for the boy, Idate said angrily, "Well, they're stupid if they think that of you. Yeah. Anybody who thinks that of you is definitely stupid."

"Well, then, that's most of Konoha."

Idate was horrifed. "Are you kidding me?" He wished Naruto was.

Naruto shook his head. "I wish I _was_ kidding."

After finishing his sixth bowl, he licked his lips, and then stood up for seconds. Remembering Idate, he turned to him and said embarrassed, "I'm getting more ramen." Idate nodded, though he was fully comprehending what the blond was saying. "It's getting late. Don't you need to sleep?"

"Hm, what?" he asked confused, Naruto's words pulling him out of thoughts such as _how stupid and cruel people are. _"Oh, oh. I'll wait with you until you're done. Then I'll show you where my room is.

"Okay, thanks!" he replied before heading to the ramen station.

A minute flew by and Naruto was back with the exact same thing he had before. "You really love ramen, ne?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Hehe. Yeah."

* * *

Reviews appreciated. Next chapter: Sasuke is worried as hell where Naruto is. He didn't see him at dinner and he's not in their room (and naruto doesn't have a room key!) 


	4. He'll Be Fine

Wow, NARU.UKE.4LYF must really like this story. -Smiley face-

I've been lazing around for the past couple of days, so, after reading another review from the above reader, I decided I might as well write a chapter before I get back on task and back to studying.

* * *

The pair of preteens from Team 7 returned to their spacious room. 

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" Sasuke asked his female teammate.

Sakura, shocked that Sasuke actually spoke a complete sentence to her, stared at him wide eyed and mouth agape. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"If not, I'll just be a minute to change."

After a few moments, Sakura shook her head side-to-side to clear her mind from her stupor and dirty thoughts of Sasuke changing. She responded in a quivering voice, "Go ahead, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn," he said with a nod of the head and picked up his change of clothes, carrying it with him into the bathroom.

While the raven-haired shinobi was in the bathroom, Sakura tried to control her hormonal thoughts and her old academy plan of being Sasuke's first kiss. _Wait_, Inner Sakura thought, her eyes narrowing, _that baka stole Sasuke-kun's first kiss!_ Sakura calmed down. _Where was the baka, anyway? _She examined the room. He wasn't there. _Whatever,_ she thought, _it's peaceful without him here_. _Let him cause havoc elsewhere._

Hearing a click and turn of the doorknob, Sakura looked towards the bathroom door. Sasuke exited the room holding his navy-blue shirt and white shorts in a neat heap in his arms. Sakura's face was painted the same color as her hair—pink. She blushed as she eyed the older boy up and down. _Oh, God! _she mind screamed and squealed loudly. _Every girl would __**kill**__ to be in my position! _She was on the brink of having a nosebleed just looking at him, and he wasn't even dressed in anything revealing or of that nature! She felt special knowing no other girl had ever seen her Sasuke-kun in garb other than the ones he was holding. No, they hadn't every seen him in his black, smooth, satin pajama pants and shirt, his forehead protector not doing its job protecting his forehead, but letting his bangs fall loosely forward. The green-eyed girl was elated and in bliss at the moment, wishing it would never end, but of course, all good things must come to an end. (1)

Sasuke coughed irritably, trying to galvanize Sakura out of her thoughts. Hearing him, she looked up and locked eyes with him. Then, she saw his scowl and her cheeks were as bright as red apples, her embarrassment evident. To hide herself, she quickly turned, grabbed her pajamas from the bed, and pulled the comforter back. She folded the top half over to cover the bottom half. She grabbed the nearest pillow and put it on top of the thick comforter.

The older teen was beyond infuriated and annoyed. God how he hated being near the younger girl. He didn't even know why the hell she was as red as a tomato; there was no reason for her to be. He inwardly growled, glaring at the pathetic girl. _If only glares were lethal_ he wished, then sighing that they would never be.

"Sa-sa-suke-ku-kun," stuttered the still-blushing kunoichi.

_Kami-sama! _shouted Sasuke's mind in despair. He glared harder at the girl, who didn't notice, and hoped to God that maybe his Sharingan eyes could kill her by glaring. _I bet Itachi could do that…_

"…change." Sakura left with a smile and her pajamas in her arms.

Sasuke opened his eyes wide to give his face a stretch. _Finally_. He grabbed his pillow and comforter. He folded one arm over his pillow, securing it at his side, while the other neatly laid the comforter on the wooden floor. He laid down on one side of the comforter, and as he looked at the empty side adjacent to him, his furrowed his eyebrows in worry. Where was the dobe?

His mind was racing with such questions and theories that he didn't notice Sakura exit the bathroom and already get into bed.

"Sasuke-kun." He didn't hear her. "Sasuke-kunnn." No answer. "Sasuke-kun!" she shouted.

"What?" he growled into the room.

"Um, can, um, is it okay that I turn off the light now?"

"Hai," he answered.

She turned off the lamp near her bedside and snuggled into her pillow, her body melding into the mattress's soft material. Sasuke, on the other hand, laid on the floor, the comforter not thick enough to counter the floor's hard surface. He stared at the ceiling and flickers of golden hair and sea-blue eyes kept flashing before him. _Where are you? _Sasuke asked into the night, he lips moving as he thought that.

He sighed and unthinkingly began, "Sakura—" He stopped himself. _She doesn't care or would care._

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Never mind."

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke turned onto his side. He faced the side where Naruto should have been sleeping right now. _Dobe, where are you?_ Sasuke used one hand to push his upper body off the ground so that he now sat upright. He looked around the room, his eyes landing on what he was searching for. It was 10:00 according to the bright red numbers of the digital clock. _The cafeteria closed an hour ago! He should be here by now! _The worried boy plopped his head back down on his pillow. _Just sleep_ goaded his mind. Sasuke took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to soothe himself. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

The restless teen twisted and turned over and over again. His eyes opened wide. _Did he even eat dinner? _he wondered. _He didn't eat with us. Where is he? _"Naruto," he whispered sadly, his heart clenching. _Wishing he were here won't make him come. He'll come back later_ he reassured himself. Sasuke nodded in agreement with the latter thought. Suddenly, his heart stopped. _He doesn't have a key! _he realized. _The worker at the front desk gave us two keys and Naruto doesn't have one! Shittttt,_ he thought, his concern burgeoning. _Should I stay up incase he knocks? _He inhaled and exhaled, calming himself momentarily. _What am I getting worked up for? He can take care of himself. _

_Are you sure? _asked his mind.

_Yeah._

_So is that why you're always watching out for him?_

Okay, this was not helping his current mood.

_Is that why you went after him when the water nin pulled him down? _

Sasuke deeply inhaled and exhaled once again. _He'll be fine_ he thought firmly. Unfortunately, his body was not agreeing with his mind. He groaned and stood up, finding his way in the dark to his backpack. Unzipping it quietly, he pulled out a flashlight and searched his backpack for a container. He spotted it, uncapped it, and removed a small pill, which acted like a sedative, from the container and placed it into his mouth. _He'll be fine_ was his final thought before his body succumbed to the pill's effects.

* * *

Idate unlocked his door and let Naruto enter, then following him from behind. 

"Okay, Naruto. Bathroom," he pointed to it, "drawers, bed," he finished, pointing at the remaining items on his list.

Naruto looked around. 9:10 read the digital clock.

"Thanks, Id—" Naruto's eyes searched the room worriedly. Where was Idate?

"Naruto!" chuckled the teen.

Naruto looked down, relieved to find the boy sitting there, but also bewildered.

"What are you doing on the floor?"

"I'll sleep on the floor. You sleep on the bed."

"Nani?! No, no," he blond interjected. It's your room! You sleep on the bed!" The orange-clad nin tried pulling Idate up by the arm.

Idate countered, "Yes, it is my room and I say _you_ sleep on the bed."

"I don't want you to sleep on the floor though!" _He really is selfless _thought the brunette. "We can share the bed, then! How about that?"

"Can it fit both of us?"

Naruto looked at the bed. "Yeah! This bed is huge!"

* * *

Idate and Naruto both laid comfortably on their fluffy pillow and bed. 

"Naruto?" Idate asked softly, not sure if the blond had fallen asleep already.

"Hm?" he voiced sleepily.

"When is your team leaving?"

"Couple o' days?" Naruto wasn't sure. "Whenever Kakashi-sensei comes back."

The brown-eyed teen smiled brightly. "Perfect. I want to take you somewhere tomorrow."

"Okay," he said tiredly before snoring quietly.

Idate watched the sleeping form. _God, this kid's amazing._ He laughed, barely audibly. _What a cute nightcap. _He closed his eyes and beamed. _He's going to love where I'm taking him tomorrow._

* * *

(1) Where is that from? I'm pretty sure I heard it in a movie or show or something 

Reviews appreciated. Next chap: I'm not gonna say where Idate's taking Naruto. But u can surmise where he'll take him. Where would Naru _love_ to go? If I make the next chap long, it'll include Sasuke finding Naruto.


	5. Author's Note: Bad News

_**Author's Note**_

Dear Readers,

I am sorry to inform you all of **very** bad news. The laptop that I've been using for the past year is whacked up. I do not know what's wrong with it, but whenever I turn it on, it, most of the time, does not start up. When it does happen to start up, after a few minutes the screen turns black..

That laptop is the apparatus I've been using to type up my stories. Without it…it's going to take a much longer time to update. No one, and I mean **no one**, knows what **I **do on the internet. Sure, you all know me, i-love-naruto-yaoi, as a yaoi-loving reader/writer, but no one--not my friends nor my family--know what I, my real identity, do.

I have several _Naruto _stories written up and in a notebook, but it is too risky--extremely risky--to bring to _that _to my high school and type it up on a computer where a young, pure-minded teenager will most likely see what I'm typing. Gosh, I could get suspended, or expelled, for having something of that nature on campus.

I live at home. I live at home where seven other people want to use one of the two computers that we have. Having time to type a story _without _them watching: **very** limited.

The SAT and college applications are my priorities for the next couple months. I probably _will _have spare time after that, it's just that I probably won't be able to get on a computer to update.

Gomen!!

-i-love-naruto-yaoi


	6. The Best Day Ever, Except the Damn Floor

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLO EVERYONE! It's been like…**A YEAR** since I last updated

Sorry if my writing sux. I haven't written in depth in a long time.

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**Begin**

Sakura just finished changing from her pajamas to her normal daily clothes. _Strange_ she thought. _Why is Sasuke-kun still sleeping? Should I wake him? Or let him sleep? _She headed to his sleeping form and stared at him. She expected him to look peaceful, beautiful, anything—not this look of being…constipated. _Noooo_ she thought, shaking her wildly. _Sasuke-kun would have such a face! He seems…concerned. That's the correct word! _She thought in triumph.

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly. "Sakura-chan. You're so beautiful. I love your wide forehead." He smiled.

Sakura's shoulders fell and she sighed heavily. _Like he'd ever say that_. She sighed again. _It's better if I don't wake him._ She grabbed a pen from the nightstand and proceeded to write a note for Sasuke.

Sasuke-kun,

I went to look around town. Be back later.

-Sakura S2 S2 S2 (hearts)

Placing the note on the nightstand, Sakura left quietly, leaving Sasuke with bad dreams.

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Idate awoke from his great slumber and peaked his eyes open. Not seeing Naruto, his opened wide and he sat up abruptly in bed.

"Naruto?" he asked aloud in the quiet room.

"Nani?" replied Naruto.

_Where's his voice coming from? _Idate crawled and looked over the side of the bed and let out a breath of relief. Naruto was already in his orange garb and stretching. Idate smiled.

"Ohayo, Idate!"

"Ohayo. What are you doing?"

"Oh! I usually wake up early for training. I'm just stretching right now. Getting ready for whatever the day brings."

"Ah! I see. That's a good idea." After a moment, Idate remembered, "Oh, hey, there's a place in town that I want to take you."

"Really? What's the place?"

Idate beamed. "That's a secret."

Naruto became excited. "Aww! When can we go then, Idate?" asked the blond enthusiastically.

"Whenever you want," answered the older boy. Then added, "A**s long** as you're still not full from last night."

As if on cue, Naruto's stomach growled. The young shinobi laughed sheepishly. "It looks like I'm not."

"Alright. You wanna go after I change?"

"Believe it!"

Idate smiled. _This boy is always positive._

_ZOTZOTZOT ZOTZOTZOT ZOTZOTZOT ZOTZOTZOT ZOTZOTZOT ZOTZOTZOT ZOTZOTZOT ZOTZOTZOT_

A girlish squeal escaped the Kyuubi-container's throat and past his rosy lips. Naruto's eyes were covered with a sheen of delight which soon turned into a waterfall of tears.

"**THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!**" screamed Naruto and then let out another high-pitched squeal.

"Order whatever you want, Naruto. It's on me!"

"Yosh! Hehe, it's okay, Idate. You **don't** want to pay my Ramen bill. I eat a lot, and by looking at the menu of the Ramen restaurant, I know I'll be eating a lot."

"It's no problem." Idate smiled knowingly at the blond. "Take a look at the prices."

Naruto look. His eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped to the floor.

"Are these for real?!"

Idate nodded. "50 cents per bowl. Not the typical three dollars. Sweet Pea has an abundance—a HUGE abundance—of fresh fruits, veggies, seafood, etc, which allows owners to serve dishes cheap."

Naruto's mouth simply watered. "This is the best day of my life!" he screamed as more tears spilled down his face.

Idate smiled and put his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "It won't be until you try the Ramen here. It is absolutely the best."

"Ahhh!" Naruto squealed in utter excitement and hugged the older boy around the midsection. "Thank you _soooooooooooooooooooooooooo_ much, Idate!" The blond hugged the other tighter each time he yelled, "Dai suki, dai suki, dai suki…." (1)

Idate laughed with mirth and ran a hand through Naruto's golden locks. _What a guy_.

ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT ZOTZOT

Sasuke woke up groggily and sat up groaning. He surveyed the room and saw no one. "Ow," he let out, before picking himself up at a snail's pace. _Damn floor! _He cursed his sleeping arrangements for being so hard and uncomfortable. _Where is everyone?_ he wondered. He suddenly looked around frantically. _Where's __**Naruto**__? _His mind raced with worry. He rushed to the bathroom, which verily wasn't much of a rush because the pain in his back and shoulders prevented him from moving at his normal quick pace. _Damn floor!_ he reiterated in annoyance.

**End of Chapter 5**

_**Reviews appreciated!**_

(1) Spelling? It's a translation for "I love you."

**Next Chapter: **Sasuke finds Naruto sleeping in a tree and wonders (with worry) if his dobe slept their the entire night. Sasuke soon learns Naruto was with Idate, alo. How does the prodigy react? Will it evoke his true feelings for his usurantonkachi?

Wow, I think next chapter might be the last one! (unless I put a cliff hanger in somewhere). Hahaa, I'm reading my notes for the ending. _Very nice_. Hahaaa. It's gonna be heart-clenching, heart-warming, funny, 5 stars! Lmao hahahaaaa. Seriously, good stuff to come!!


	7. No Big Deal, No Big Deal ? !

09.13.08

In my notebook, this part is actually titled "Ch.3" teehee (the chaps in my notebook are actually really long. I juss split 'em up for fanfic)

**Begin Chapter 6**

**No Big Deal. No Big Deal?!**

Back at the inn, Naruto and Idate were in Idate's room , both resting after their huge meal.

"Oi, Naruto," Idate began, getting the other boy's attention.

"Yeah?" he asked lazily due to the food.

The brunette held a letter in one hand. "I just read this letter that Boss Jirochou that a pigeon delivered."

"Uh huh. What'd it say?" Naruto asked.

"Boss Jirochou has an urgent assignment for me. I am to leave this area immediately, like right now, and return to him ASAP."

"Nani?!" shrieked the blond. "_Right _now_?!_"

"Yeah, I know, it sucks. Gomen, but I'm going to have to leave soon—er,_ now_, actually."

The younger teen pouted and let out an, "Aww." He truly loved Idate's company and knew he would miss it.

"Well, don't be so sad," Idate said, trying to console his new friend. He rubbed the orange-clad boy's back, at a loss of words. It's not like he could say, "It's okay. I'll be back soon" or something like that. He never knew what he schedule would be like until his boss told him. _Ah!_ He just thought of something that just might lift the blond's spirits. "I already paid to have this room for three more days," Idate said in a cheery voice. "So you can stay here, away from those jerks you call teammates. Come on, how does that sound?" asked the older boy with a forced smile, hoping this would cheer up the blond.

"Thanks, Idate. Sounds good." Naruto sighed. "When will we meet again?"

"Konoha!" exclaimed the brunette. "One day. I'll return one day."

"Soon?" Naruto inquired, hopeful.

While in contemplation, Idate's eyes were upwards and his head tilted towards his left shoulder then to his right a few times. He smiled and responded with, "Well, sooner than later."

Naruto smiled sadly and hugged the older boy. "I'm going to miss you!"

"Ditto," Idate responded sadly, ruffling the younger boy's hair.

After a few minutes, Idate was all packed and ready to leave. He and his new friend hugged again, promising to meet again in Konoha one day.

"One day," Idate whispered as he held the younger boy tightly against him. "One day."

"One day," Naruto repeated.

Naruto felt the older boy resist a fraction and knew he had to release the other boy. Idate opened the door and stared at Naruto. He nodded, and Naruto nodded back, both knowing what their nods meant. It was a farewell as well a promise, a promise they both were determined to keep.

xDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningxxDrowningx

Reading that Sweet Pea Country was known for its beautiful landscapes, Naruto set out on surrounding himself with nature, hoping that such beauty would alleviate the pain of having a good friend leave him. He soon found himself jumping from tree to tree, until finding one that had the most beautiful view. Watching the calm, azure ocean and the bright sun above instantly calmed him. Before he knew it, Naruto drifted off to sleep.

Sasuke jumped from tree to tree in search of Naruto. He had already searched the ground and figured the trees were the next best thing. Naruto wouldn't leave the country, would he? Anyway, from such a height, Sasuke could also easily spot the orange-clad ninja if he were roaming anywhere on the streets. Sasuke was about to give up hope when he spotted orange. He quickly moved to that spot and squatted right in front of Naruto's sleeping form.

The prodigy stared at Naruto, surveying if any damage had come upon the blond. _Did the dobe sleep here the whole night? _he asked worriedly. He gently touched one of Naruto's whiskered cheeks.

Naruto jerked from the contact, so much so that he fell off the branch until Sasuke caught him by the arm. Pain flashed through Sasuke's eyes and a small groan escaped his lips as he pulled Naruto up.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, concerned.

Sasuke simply grunted with pain etched on his beautiful face.

After a few moments of silence, Sasuke asked gruffly and as casually as he could, "Did you sleep here the whole night?"

Caught off guard, Naruto nearly fell off the branch again. _Whoa, Sasuke barely says anything besides 'Hn._' Naruto chuckled inwardly at that thought and then remembered his teammate's question. "Oh! What? No!"

"Where'd you sleep?" Sasuke asked again _casually_, not even looking at Naruto in the eyes.

"Why does it matter?" Naruto asked defensively.

_Cuz I was worried sick about you the whole damn night! _That's what Sasuke wanted to scream but opted for, "I didn't hear you come in last night. Kakashi-sensei made it my responsibility to keep an eye on you and Sakura."

Naruto shrugged slightly and admitted, "I was with Idate."

Sasuke's head shot up and stared hard at Naruto, trying to look like he was not glaring. "Why were you with _him_?" he asked with disdain.

"Why does it matter?" Naruto asked again exasperated. Really, why _did _it matter?

Sasuke glared hard at the blond, pissed off.

Naruto just sighed and shrugged again. "I asked him if he'd share his room with me." Naruto's shoulders raised again slightly as he shook his head and said, "No big deal."

_Why the __**hell**__ would you do that?! _raged Sasuke's mind. "Why?" he spat out.

Naruto wondered if he should tell the truth or not on this one. It's not like Sasuke would be pissed, right? He did another shrugging motion as he decided, what the hell, Sasuke probably liked the new sleeping arrangement—a room without me is heaven for him.

"I knew both you and Sakura didn't want me around, so I asked Idate if I could stay with him. He was kind enough to let me sleep in his room." Naruto added, "No big deal." _He's not going to Kakashi-sensei is he?_

_Who said I didn't want you around?! And what do you mean, 'No big deal'?!_

As an afterthought, remembering what Sasuke said the previous day in their room, Naruto added, "Also, I don't know how I am when I sleep. I didn't want to accidentally get into your space during the night and get my ass kicked by you as a consequence of that."

"Oh," Sasuke simply said, unsure of what else to say. _It's not like I was really going to hurt you if you _did_ get on my side…_ _Did Naruto really think I would beat him up? _he thought sadly. _Come on, what kind of friend would beat up another friend because of that?_

Naruto got up and stretched big, getting all the kinks out. He smiled, reenergized. "Let's spar, teme."

Sasuke, ready to fight, _tried_ to get up but his shoulders and back tensed. A barely audible, "Ow," escaped his lips.

Not hearing that, but seeing the pain revealed by Sasuke's countenance, Naruto shouted with concern, "Sasuke! Are you okay?"

The prodigy clenched his fists and cursed inwardly. _Dammit, I'm an Uchiha. Uchiha don't show pain to anyone!_ He refused to answer the blond's question, and instead returned his question with another question. "Why don't you have any pain?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, completely confused.

"Your back," Sasuke said. "Why don't you have any pain?"

"Why _would_ I have pain?" Naruto asked bewildered.

Sasuke, now as confused as the blond, asked, "Didn't you sleep on the floor?"

"No," Naruto answered with honesty and confusion, stretching out his response, the 'O' sound taking up four seconds. He was trying to figure out what Sasuke was getting at.

The Uchiha's eyebrows furrowed together. "Then where did you sleep?" he asked slowly.

"On the bed," Naruto answered as if it was obvious.

Again, Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed further together and deep wrinkles now were on his forehead. He inquired slowly, "Then where did Idate sleep?"

Naruto responded, "On the bed."

After being pensive for a few seconds, Sasuke ever so slowly nodded once. "Uh huh." He figured out Idate's and Naruto's sleeping arrangement. "So his room had **two** beds." The statement almost sounded like a question.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed together as he stared at Sasuke confused. "Uh, no." Really, what was Sasuke trying to get at?

Sasuke was piecing the information he was given bit by bit. He asked at a snail's pace, "So you slept, with him, on the same bed last night?"

_Oh, God. Does he think I'm homosexual? Is he a homophobe? I mean, I am homosexual, but, damn, he'll hate me even more… _Naruto growled at himself. _Whatever. If he hates me, he hates me. Why should I care if he hates me _more_ than he hates me now? It's the same thing_.

Naruto admitted, "Yeah."

Sasuke looked away. "Whatever."

Upset, Naruto crossed his arms and asked, "Why were you asking?"

"Does it matter?" Sasuke asked scathingly.

"Don't steal my line," Naruto said.

Not feeling like being near the blond, Sasuke used the tree to stand up. "I'm going," he muttered icily. He moved slightly. _Ow! _

Naruto noticed Sasuke's body tense and asked, "Are you okay?" At that particular moment he

wasn't actually concerned about the older teen; he asked more out of habit.

"Hn," was the only response Naruto got.

The blond shook his head. _Same old bastard. _He watched as the sore teen surveyed the trees in the closest proximity. Naruto stared at the Uchiha symbol the entire time, pensive. Before Sasuke could leap, Naruto shouted, "Wait!"

Sasuke turned around and to cover up his pain from suddenly stopping, asked with annoyance, "What, dobe?"

Naruto ignored the insulting name and stuttered, "A-are we okay?"

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, irritated.

Naruto glared. _Stupid bastard. Does he always have to be so cold? _Naruto shook his head and sighed._ Some people just can't change. _"Just answer the question. Are we still, on, civil-ish terms?" _Before we met Idate?_

Like Naruto earlier, Sasuke sort of shrugged and answered, "Sure."

**End Chapter 6**

**Reviews appreciated!**

Beginning this chap, I really thought I would _complete_ 'Drowning,' but I was semi-tired and saw that there were manyyyyyyyyyy more pages to type up so I quit for today.

**Next Chapter**: (Final chapter??) Naruto and Sasuke spend a long time in the tree talking, expressing their _true_ feelings!!

I read the last sentence of Chapter 5 (not of the _story_, but of the entire page where it talks about chapter 6) and I must say, SORRY, I really don't think that described this chap… what was I thinking? Over-glorifying myself. shakes head . Ah, I must have written that thinking chap 6 would contain _everything _of 'Drowning.' Perhaps.


	8. I Love You

My finals are done. I saw my psych grade. *tear* Bad. I mean, I passed, but…

All the classes I need to take next quarter are FULL—even the fwaitlist is FULL. Terrible. I'm going to talk to the…dean? Counselor?

_Happy Holidays, fanfiction fans! _To you, from me, the final chaptefr of _Drowning_.

**Begin Chapter 7**

Naruto went behind Sasuke and put his hands on his shoulders, pushing him down to make him sit on the branch.

"Ow! Usurantonkachi!" Sasuke bellowed in pain. "What are you doing?!"

The blond didn't answer. He continued to push down lightly on his teammate's shoulders.

The prodigy remained resistant.

"Sit down, teme," Naruto said.

"Why?" the raven asked suspiciously.

The blond gave an exasperated sigh and implored, "Please?"

With a defeated sigh, the raven began to sit down when Naruto rotated their positions, making it so that Naruto was against the tree's trunk and Sasuke's back against his. From there, they both sat down.

A cute pink tinged Sasuke's cheeks as he became flustered at the close contact. He was only that close with Naruto when sparring. "W-what are you d-doing?" he let out shakily.

Naruto began massaging the older boy's shoulders. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked.

Sasuke suppressed a moan as he leaned further into Naruto's skillful hands. "Yo-you don't have to do this," he urged.

"I know, but I want to," he replied as his hands moved lower, rubbing the older boy's back up and down on either side of his spine. He explained, "You're taking care of us, so I can at least return the favor."

"Uhh…" the raven let out, his neck arching, as Naruto hit a tender spot.

"Are you feeling better?" Naruto inquired.

"Uhh, yeah. Mm," Sasuke answered.

With thumbs on either side of Sasuke's spine, Naruto began moving up to the top of Sasuke's neck and back down to his lower back at a slow pace.

"Uh, Naruto," Sasuke moaned. "God, you're so good."

Now, the blond was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable, but he continued to massage his sore teammate because he knew he needed it. He moved his hands higher and began to gently massage the raven's scalp. All the while, the youngest Uchiha was letting out quiet moans. Naruto moved down again, moving to Sasuke's muscular upper arms. The blond softly squeezed them with his hands.

Although those parts of Sasuke's body was not affected from sleeping on the ground, the treatment Naruto was giving him felt great after so much training.

Naruto's hands moved lower once again. They lightly went up and down Sasuke's lower arms. Sensitive, the raven threw his head back, falling into the crevice between Naruto's neck and shoulder. Naruto's heart beat faster. Sasuke's face was so close to his own and his expression, needless to say, was arousing the blond. In a daze, he kept running his hands up and down the older boy's arms.

"Naruto! Oh!" Sasuke moaned, his back now rubbing closer to the blond's front side.

Not able to take it anymore, Naruto stopped his movements.

Sasuke opened his eyes at the loss of the contact. He looked at the younger boy to see what was wrong. Naruto's face was bright pink.

"Should I get into a different position?" Presumably Sasuke didn't notice the color of Naruto's face.

_God, he doesn't know what that means to me! _Naruto's face reddened.

Now, Sasuke saw the color. "Are you sick?" he asked concerned. He put a hand to Naruto's forehead. "You're burning up, Naruto!"

Naruto pushed his head against the caring hand. He probably wouldn't get this concern for his well being from his teammate again. After a few seconds, which felt like several minutes to the blond, he pulled back and looked away. Blushing and not looking the raven in the eyes, he said, "Sorry."

"For what?" Sasuke asked confused.

_What do I tell him? _Naruto pondered. "Sasuke," Naruto began but could not continue.

Sasuke softly used his right hand to push Naruto's body to the left to get him out of his daze.

Naruto looked at him straight in the eye.

_What's got him so frazzled?_ Sasuke wondered. "Yeah?" Sasuke was anxious for what the blond looked like he was going to tell him. Simultaneously he was hesitant because he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what the blond was about to reveal.

"I want to tell you something."

Sasuke stared at the blond, expecting more. Sasuke didn't know what to say so he stared at the blond, waiting for him to continue. He could discern that the blond was racking his brain for the right words to say.

"I'm gay."

Wow, that came out of nowhere.

_What about Sakura, though_? Sasuke's mind screamed. _He's had a crush on her for years! And he was adamant on saving her the other day? When she "drowned"? I wouldn't call that __gay__. _Angrily, he screamed, "So you went to save Sakura but not me!" He glared at the younger teen.

Naruto stared confusedly at his teammate, slightly cocking his head to the side as he stared harder at the older boy. _Is Sasuke jealous? _"Wait, what? Uh—"

"You saved Sakura from drowning," Sasuke stated matter-of-factly.

_Uh, huh. So? _Naruto nodded his head in agreement at Sasuke and wanting him to continue.

Sasuke was thinking. "Would you save me?"

"What?"

Irritated, Sasuke blew up. "If **I** was drowning, would you have saved me?"

"What?! You weren't drowning!"

"Dammit, dobe! But _if_ I _was_ drowning, would you have saved me? Saved me like you saved that dreadful, cruel, stupid bitch?!"

Naruto, a tad angry at Sasuke calling their teammate a name, answered without malice, "Why _wouldn't _I?"

Sasuke was taken aback at the answer. "You would?"

Naruto nodded his head. After a few seconds, he exploded. "Dammit, Sasuke! Why the hell wouldn't I save you?! You're my teammate, my friend, and we're supposed to look out for each other! That's what friends are supposed to do!" Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he looked into Sasuke's eyes. "Unless you don't consider us friends?"he asked saddened but masked it.

Sasuke could read people fairly well. He saw the flicker of pain that flashed over Naruto's features. He asked softly, and sadly, "Why wouldn't you think we were friends? Why would you even doubt we had a friendship?"

Naruto's sarcastic mind though _Oh, right, like I'm not just a burden and annoyance to you! You treat me like a baby and call me names!_

Sasuke noticed Naruto's eyes narrowing as he thought. "Naruto."

Naruto looked up with a glare. "What?" he asked coldly.

Shaking off the harsh look his _friend_ gave him, he asked, "Why would you think we weren't friends?" He wanted an answer.

Naruto was angry and refused to answer.

Sasuke placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders and looked deeply into Naruto's eyes. He spoke softly, "Naruto, please, why would you even doubt our friendship?"

Naruto jerked out of Sasuke's hands. He detonated. "You treat me like an idiot, and I know I'm slow, but you put me down more than others. I don't think that's how friends are supposed to treat friends!" Friendship was always something that made Naruto cry. He tried to look tough and angry as he stared at Sasuke, but after a few seconds, the pain in his heart was too strong. The back of Naruto's throat made a cough sound as he tried to suppress his cries.

_Screw my pride! _Sasuke's mind yelled. He lunged forward and hugged Naruto close to him.

Naruto tried to wriggle free. Feeling Sasuke against him in a caring manner was going to make him bawl out loud. "Sasuke, let go…" Sasuke kept Naruto in his bear hug and Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He cried. Confused. Sasuke was being so caring when he was usually a bastard.

Sasuke hugged Naruto tighter as he heard the blond sob. "Shh, Naruto." He gently rocked their bodies side to side.

_Why is he being so kind? _He asked confused, his emotions running through him. He cried onto the older boy's chest.

Sasuke put one hand through the golden's spikes while the other hand went to Naruto's back, soothing it. "Shh, shh."

Naruto drew in a shaky breath. He looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke?"

"Dobe?"

Naruto stiffened.

Sasuke pulled back to observe Naruto. "What?" he asked.

"Why do you always call me that?" Naruto asked angrily.

"Call you what?"

" 'Dobe'! or 'baka' or 'Scaredy Cat'? Why do you always treat me like a baby and get so pissed when I do something 'stupid'?" New tears fell down Naruto's cheeks as he yelled at his…friend? "Why—"

Before Naruto could protest, Sasuke hugged him again. "Because I love you," he said. Said, not whispered.

Once again Naruto stiffened.

"I love you so much, Naruto," Sasuke reiterated, pouring his soul into the one he loved. "I get pissed and worried because I don't want to see you get hurt physically, mentally, or emotionally. I yell at you, hoping you'd be more _careful_. I thought you knew I was only teasing when I called you names. Isn't that what 'teme' is?"

Slightly crying still, but more from happiness, Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes and smiled.

Sasuke saw the smile and happy tears.

Naruto nodded his head. "Yeah," and added, "most of the time." He hugged Sasuke back. "Sasuke," Naruto whispered, he paused, and asked loudly, "How the hell did this come about after I revealed I was gay?"

_Too long, too explain. Whatever. I'll just say_, "I'm gay."

"Nani?! You like guys?"

Sasuke laughed, "No, I like _you_. Actually, I _love_ you."

Naruto smiled, looked down blushing, and looked back into Sasuke's eyes. "I, I love you too," he confessed and then hugged his…_boy_friend?

The branch began to wobble and Naruto fell down on it, nearly falling off it.

"Dobe!" Sasuke warned, holding his arm tightly.

Naruto smiled. "Teme," he replied. "We should get down from here."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed.

Naruto noticed Sasuke was still limping. "Oh, Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped. "Uh, Naruto, don't you think we're too young for _that_? We haven't even kissed yet!"

"Pervert!" Naruto screamed, whacking Sasuke hard enough to feel it but not fall off the branch. When I said 'sleep,' I literally meant sleep, like sleep sleep, not _that_ sleep! Idate left, so I have his room, alone, for a few days. I figured you'd feel better away from Sakura and on a bed to sleep on instead of the floor. Oh, and true, I do think we're too young for _that_. False, though, we have kissed before."

"Oh!" Sasuke realized. "In the academy."

"Yeah." Naruto blushed, then asked cornily, "Will there be more accidents in the future?"

Sasuke smiled, "Believe it!"

**End Chapter 7**

**YAY! DONE! REVIEWS APPRECIATED! . I think a lot of my stories are gonna end with "believe it!"**


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